Electric controller



(No Model.)

S. H. SHORT. ELECTRIC CONTROLLER.

Patented Dem 10, 1895.

Hill Ill UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIDNEY H. SHORT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

ELECTRIC CONTROLLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 551,053, dated December 10, 1895.

Application filed August 26, 1895. Serial No. 560,579, (No model.)

T0 (6 whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SIDNEY H. SHORT, of Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Controllers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inven tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in electric controllers, the object of the invention being to provide an ei'iicient and simple construction of parts for disrupting and suppressing arcing between the movable and stationary contacts of a controller-switch; and with these ends in view my invention. consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in cross-section of one construction of controller embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detached view in perspective of the controller-shaft, contact-sleeves thereon, electromagnet, and contact-fingers; and Fig. 3 is a part sectional. view in side elevation of the same.

A represents the casing of the controller, consisting of the back A and sheet mctal cover A Oontr0ller-shaft B is:suitably j ournaled at its ends in the casing and is furnished with the usual detachable crankhandle B. Upon the shaft are mounted the sleeves G C, &c., which are insulated from the shaft by the insulating-sleeve a and are insulated from each other by the interposed insulatingwashers b. Sleeves O O, dad, are made of magnetic material and preferably of cast-iron and have cast integral with. them the segmental contacts 0, the peripheral surfaces 0 of which are finished smooth and true to afford good and efficient contact-surfaces.

Upon the wooden strip 1) or other suitable insulated support are mounted the contactfingers E, the free ends of which are kept in engagement with the rotary contacts 0 by means of the springs e. The electrical connections of the contacts are not shown, as they maybe of the well-known construction and arrangement and constitute no part of my improvement.

F represents the core of an electromagnet supported by brackets F, which are seemed to the ends of the core and are fastened to the wooden base D.

Core F is constructed with a series of polepieces f f, which are so spaced that each one of these pole-pieces will be located. opposite and in close proximity to one of the segmental contacts carried by the controllershaft. Around core F are wound a series of coils H H, each of which is composed of a few turns of comparatively slow-resistance conductor which is included in the main circuit of the motor. As will be observed, each adjacent coil is wound in an opposite direc= tion, whereby an opposite polarity is given the adjacent pole-pieces, as is indicated by the letters N S. When current flows through the coils H H, &c., the core is magnetized with the result that a series of complete magnetic circuits are formed, each. complete cir cuit including two adjacent poles N and S and the two segmental contacts on the adjacent insulated sleeve, as is indicated in dotted lines in the drawings. There is thus pro duced a magnetic field in the air-gap between each one of the rotary contacts and one of the poles of the electromagnet F. Vhen the controller-shaft is rotated so as to move the segmental contacts carried thereby out of contact with the contact-fingers and thereby break the circuit through which. a current is flowing, an arc would form between the two contacts thus separated were it not for the presence of the magnetic field, which envelops the point of rupture and serves to disrupt and suppress any such arcing.

Owing to the fact that the rotary contacts serve in effect as armatures to the series of electromagnets and form part of the complete magnetic circuits, the lines of force are concentrated Within the comparatively narrow air-gaps within which the circuits are broken, and hence small magnet-cores and a few turns of conductor of low resistance will be ample to maintain a series of magnetic fields of sufficient strength to prevent arcing between. any of the series of contacts.

It is evident that my improvement is susceptible of being widely modified in the 0011- struction and arrangement of parts of an apparatus embodying it without involving a departure from the essence of the invention, and hence I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the particular construction and arrangement of parts shown and 7 described; but,

Having fully described my invention, What I I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an electric controller, the combina-i tion with the controller shaft, of sleeves of magnetic metal mounted on and insulated from said shaft, contact arms of magnetic metal projecting from said sleeves, a magnet having a series of poles arranged in pairs, the poles of each pair being of opposite po- I larity wherebya magnetic circuitwill be co1npleted between the poles of each pair and through corresponding contact arms, and

ing witnesses.

SIDNEY H. SHORT. Witnesses M. vA. KENSINGER, R. '1. BONE. 

